The Cleaner of Chartres

There is something very special about Agnès Morel. A quiet presence in the small French town of Chartres, she can be found cleaning the famed medieval cathedral each morning and doing odd jobs for the townspeople. No one knows where she came from or why. Not Abbé Paul, who discovered her one morning 20 years ago, sleeping on the north porch, and not Alain Fleury, the irreverent young restorer who works alongside her each day - and whose attention she catches with her tawny eyes and elusive manner. She has transformed each of their lives in her own subtle way, yet no one suspects the dark secret Agnès is hiding.

The story is about the tragic background of the "Cleaner of Chartres." From her start as a foundling to the, finally, normal ending, the book weaves a sad tale of the life of this woman. There were good people watching over her, but there were also many evils done to her. Somehow she endures and becomes a functional, if flawed, adult.

For some reason I had a difficulty with the time changes between the past(s) and present(s) necessary for the story. I would eventually pick up on a time clue and realize that I hadn't made the shift to the current narrative. This hasn't been a problem in other books; perhaps more subtle than I have encountered before.

Finally, a decent read. However, I wouldn't reread or pick another book by this author.

Tell No Lies

The scion of an old-money San Francisco family, Daniel Brasher left his well-paying, respectable money-manager position to marry his community organizer wife and work at a job he loves, leading group counseling sessions with recently paroled violent offenders. One night he finds an envelope - one intended for someone else that was placed in his office mailbox by accident. Inside is an unsigned piece of paper, a handwritten note that says, "Admit what you've done or you will bleed for it."

Gregg Hurwitz has a way of setting up a main character with an organized life. Then, slowly, he is sucked into a mystery that becomes serial killings that somehow directly involve him. The pace starts calm, increases, and then pounds forward as the horror evolves. Once I got into the story, I had a hard time stopping! For me, this is the best Hurwitz so far.

Scott Brick is uniquely suited to this genre. I always enjoy his narration.

The Sound and the Furry

When Chet and Bernie happen upon a prison work crew that includes Frenchie Boutette, an old criminal pal they sent up the river, getting a new case is the last thing they expect. But Frenchie, who comes from an old Louisiana family full of black sheep, needs help finding his one law-abiding relative, his brother Ralph, a reclusive inventor who has gone missing with his houseboat.

As always, this is an easy. fun listen. However, our heroes are out of their usual territory. Nobody is willing to give up information and what they do get is often vague or misleading; they are on their own in a strange place. I do like the, often odd, perspective from Chet. However, it seemed that this story had a few places that were too drawn out. It just didn't hang together and keep moving like the others. I will still continue the series; it isn't enough to deter me...

The Iggy Chronicles, Volume One: A Chet and Bernie Mystery Short Story

Iggy is a dog who doesn’t get out much, so it’s big news when elderly Mr. Parsons knocks on Bernie’s door to say that Iggy has vanished. In the search for Iggy, Chet and Bernie find Mrs. Parsons unconscious on her bedroom floor, in need of urgent medical care. But it’s only when they arrive at the hospital that things get really interesting. With a jewel thief making short work of hospital patients’ valuables, it seems that Iggy is not alone in disappearing right out from under somebody’s nose. Suspects are plentiful and witnesses are few.

A Cat Was Involved: A Chet and Bernie Mystery Short, Story 1

Spencer Quinn’s first original audio short story reveals how everyone’s favorite detective duo - Chet the Dog and P.I. Bernie Little - came to meet before their first big case in Dog On It. As fans know, Chet first met Bernie on that fateful day when he flunked out of K-9 police school. The details of that day, though, have always remained a little vague (like so much in Chet’s doggy brain). All we know is that Chet had been the best leaper in his K-9 class, but for some reason he failed his final leaping test...and that a cat was involved...and that there was some blood. But whose?

The Gingerbread House

Ingrid Olsson returns home from a Stockholm hospital to discover a man in her kitchen. She's never seen the intruder before. But he's no threat - he's dead. Criminal Investigator Conny Sjoberg takes the call, abandoning his wife Asa and their five children for the night. His team identify the body as that of a middle-aged family man. But why was he there? And who bludgeoned him to death? Lacking suspect and motive, Sjoberg's team struggle until they link the case to another - apparently random - killing. And discover they face a serial killer on a terrible vendetta....

No spoilers here!This book is every bit a Scandinavian murder mystery with multiple story threads. The main plot has roots far in the past, murders in the present, and a rush to prevent future killings. However, there is not one gruff loner detective doing things regardless of the consequences. The team works together, divides the responsibilities, and we get a glimpse of them off work. Early in the book I was drawn in to the background, realization that the murders are work of a serial killer, and the rush to stop the carnage. I will definitely follow this author in the future.

I didn't sync with the narrator immediately, but it only took a short time to get into her rhythm and enjoy "someone reading to me."

Last Wool and Testament: A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery, Book 1

Thank Goodness It's Fiber: That's the name of the spunky group of fiber and needlework artists founded by Ivy McClellan, Kath's beloved grandmother. Though Ivy has recently passed on, the members still meet regularly at her fiber and fabric shop, The Weaver's Cat, which Kath has now inherited. But that's only the first in a series of surprises when Kath returns to the small town of Blue Plum, Tennessee, to settle her grandmother's affairs

This is a decent start to a series, but the author's attempt to have unresolved story lines to pick up in later books left me with a a sense of it being unfinished. The conflicts include deaths/murders, thefts, the shop/inheritance, cats, and a ghost. Law enforcement is strange and small town busybodies pop up continuously. Finally, I find it a stretch that an 80 year old woman could run a shop, teach fiber art lessons plus design and weave tapestries in her off time at home.

The Boy Who Stole from the Dead

Bobby Kungenook, a mysterious 17-year-old hockey phenom from the Arctic Circle, is accused of murder in New York City. Bobby’s guardian, Nadia Tesla, knows his true identity. If his secret gets out, it could cost him his life. Sports journalist Lauren Ross is in hot pursuit of Bobby’s story. Where did the boy with the blazing speed and magical hands come from? Why has no one heard of him before? Nadia’s certain the boy is innocent, but the police have a signed confession and an eyewitness.

This story is growing on me. The original plot is given more depth here and old plus new conflicts keep the mysteries moving.

The first book seemed to end with many conflicts calmed, if not concluded. This book picked up the conflicts surrounding the locket and the intrusive reporter, plus adds a murder that lands Bobby in jail. Of course all are connected to the main story thread from the first book. Nadia, once again, is chased through Ukraine, and the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Much is resolved or at least calmed as in the first book, but this time there is a cliffhanger ending. I am looking forward to listening to the next installment!

The Boy from Reactor 4

When Nadia Tesla inquires into her enigmatic father’s past, a stranger propels her on a treasure hunt from New York to her father’s homeland in Eastern Europe. The knowledge she acquires could change the fate of the free world and earn her riches beyond her dreams. To cash in, she forms an alliance with an unlikely accomplice - a mysterious boy from the cooling ponds of Chernobyl. Together, these lost souls must survive the trip home through the world’s most treacherous terrain, pursued by resourceful men who will stop at nothing to steal the treasure.

This has interesting international settings and an unusual storyline. Some is farfetched and some quite believable. There is much information about those living in the shadow of the nuclear disaster; supported by many authors and documentaries. The chase through the exclusion zone, Siberia, Bering Strait, Diomede Islands, Alaska and on to NY is plausible. The story of Adam/Bobby is sad and triumphant due to the persistence of his cousin in the US.

This storyline didn't settle in my mind until I listened to the second book in the series. It's probably my shortcoming as the book can stand alone. However the story is ongoing and I encourage you to continue the series.

Prior Bad Acts

It was a crime so brutal, it changed the lives of even the most hardened homicide cops. The Haas family murders left a scar on the community nothing can erase, but everyone agrees that convicting the killer, Karl Dahl, is a start. Only Judge Carey Moore seems to be standing in the way. Her ruling that Dahl's prior criminal record is inadmissible raises a public outcry, and puts the judge in grave danger.

I was well into this listen when I suddenly realized that I "know" Kovac and Liska. This book has gruff Kovac in the thick of things and, in spite of his prior opinions, gets personally involved with one of the victims. Liska tries to keep him grounded and investigates other leads. There are several gruesome murders and even more possible perps. Sorting out who is guilty of what while trying to protect the victims keeps the story moving. I will definitely look for more Kovac and Liska books.

Holter Graham is one of the better narrators; something I take into consideration before buying an audiobook.

Purgatory Ridge: A Cork O'Connor Mystery, Book 3

William Kent Krueger is the award-winning author of the popular Cork O’Connor mysteries. In Purgatory Ridge, Krueger crafts a riveting tale which has ex-sheriff O’Connor on the case after a heated town debate turns deadly. The local Anishinaabe Indian tribe is furious to discover that Karl Lindstrom’s lumber mill is after a grove of trees sacred to tribal lore. So when the mill gets bombed, killing a man, the tribe is blamed. But O’Connor has a different theory.

With ecowarriors and the lumber mill, murder and kidnap, blackmail threats, plus family and local tensions Cork has his plate full. He is the consultant and extra muscle for the current sheriff, but he still has no official status. The crimes are solved and the hostages recovered safely, but several of the local tensions remain and will undoubtedly erupt in other episodes. This kept my attention throughout. The scenarios and human responses are believable.

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